Client Pioneer Europe (Consumer Electronics Business) Challenge Aligned market approach for Pioneer’s European subsidiaries Solution Introducing the full suite of SAP R/3 modules plus the APO module for advanced planning and the BW module for advanced reporting Results Increased efficiency, more satisfied customers, lower costs More Information For more information, please contact us and let our experience help you produce results. Read the full case study (PDF) Download the file

Pioneer Europe is a successful company in large measure because it is continuously pushing forward as the markets evolve. It has now specialized in DVD and plasma display technology and never ceases to invest in innovative, high-quality product development. It constantly works to optimize its own organization as well. Management fully realizes the necessity to bring new products onto the market in a shorter timeframe and in a more cost-effective way.

Challenge
Pioneer Europe decided that successfully dealing with the changing market situation is best accomplished by a single, consistent, centralized approach for the whole of Europe.

"This centralized organization also has to be flexible. That is the only way that we can service our broad range of customers in the best, most adaptable way," says Patrick Meirlaen, Executive Director of Pioneer Europe.

"However, Pioneer Europe is a large organization; one with eleven subsidiaries. Until a while ago, they each had their own market approach, internal reporting, and IT system. We all realized that we had a significant reorganization challenge ahead of us. We needed to align all of these European subsidiaries into a single team."

Solution & Results
The tool to accomplish this was SAP. And Pioneer Europe aimed at introducing the full suite of SAP R/3 modules plus the APO module for advanced planning and the BW module for advanced reporting.

The project team first designed a completely new European reference model for the Pioneer Europe organization. The model was modified only slightly to meet certain local requirements and rolled-out at all scheduled subsidiaries in a very short timeframe.

The project was foreseen to be completed within three years, but mainly thanks to the "one team mentality" between CSC and Pioneer Europe, the elapsed time was reduced to 2.5 years.

Pioneer was live with all its European subsidiaries five months before schedule. The objectives to increase the return on capital dramatically and to boost the forecast accuracy have been fully met.

Why did Pioneer choose CSC?
"We finally chose CSC from the six consultancy firms that responded to our request, primarily because they were open and frank about what we could realistically expect from this partnership. Secondly because they showed us that they understood our exact requirements and were willing to keep us in the driver’s seat. And thirdly because of the common sense approach displayed by all CSC personnel, from the first moment they walked into my office and later in their daily interactions with our team members and executives" confirms Meirlaen.

Karsten Søderberg, Pioneer Project Leader, recalls that CSC showed great flexibility and foresight by bringing in people with exactly the right profile at each of the various phases. "The people in our subsidiaries were even helped in their own language. Last but not least, CSC always provided the necessary training of our key users, and training material so that these key users could train the others. To me, that is absolute proof of CSC’s integrity and commitment."